While the city’s white and black populations decline, and Hispanics and Asians grow, a Gotham Gazette commentary looks at what shifting demographic numbers mean when it comes to winning the mayoral seat.

Setting himself as the progressive choice for mayor, Democratic contender Bill de Blasio promised, if elected, 200,000 new units of affordable housing, a better relationship with the city’s unionized workers and new health and education programs that would be funded by taxing the wealthiest New Yorkers.

Queens Courier reports that City Council District 23 of northeastern Queens is the most ethnically diverse district in the city, according to its representative Councilman Weprin, who acknowledged that it comes with some challenges.

Speaking at the first in a series of Q&As with mayoral candidates at CUNY, Bill Thompson promised that if elected mayor, he will build a diverse administration and nearly triple the money the city spends in ads in community and ethnic publications.

The racial composition of the New York Fire Department may be finally changing to comply with the orders of a federal judge, but many minority firefighters fear the transition will be slow and difficult, reports City Limits in an investigative report.

In Latin American countries, where the mixture of races reigns supreme, many people try to hide their black heritage. But here in the U.S., the reverse is true, writes columnist Dolores Prida in El Diario La Prensa. Many Latinos hide or ignore their white Spanish ancestry.

New details in the ongoing story of sex abuse in Brooklyn’s ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities; a record number of aspiring women and minority firefighters; a dogged principal takes on a troubled school; an immigrant sports fan muses over racism in the stands; and two public art projects that address immigrant workers’ rights.

A combination of Chinese, Russian, Mexican and Italian immigrants are mixing it up in Bath Beach, Brooklyn. Home Reporter News reports that the once Italian neighborhood is changing, and some locals say in many ways it’s for the better.

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General InterestGeneral Ippies Invite List IIimmigrant affairsEthnic and community media

As the White House urged Congress to withhold $600 million in nutrition assistance to Puerto Rico, officials responded angrily that this is only the latest in a series of President Trump’s attempts to stop the flow of federal aid to the island, El Nuevo Día reports. Political analyst Domingo Emanuelli found the Trump government's actions “barbaric,” and urged Puerto Rican Republicans to reconsider their allegiance. San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz said: “I shouted against Trump’s abuses from the start while others were chummy with him. Trump is not the plantation owner and we are not his slaves.” Link to original story →

The Indigenous Peoples March being held in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 18, a day ahead of the Women's March, will bring together groups from Puerto Rico to South America and Central America, reports Remezcla, to focus attention on issues from voter suppression to human trafficking to police brutality to what is called an “environmental holocaust” by activists. “I think it’s a collective cry for help because we’re in a time of crisis that we have not seen in a very long time,” says Nathalie Farfan, an Ecuadorean Indigenous woman and event organizer. Link to original story →

After vowing to create a more inclusive school system in North Carolina, the Durham Board of Education introduced a new department of second language services to serve newly-arrived immigrants who don’t speak English as a first language, Qué Pasa Noticias reports. One of the main goals of the initiative will be to coordinate a translation and interpretation system to help families participate in their children’s education. “As our Latinx population keeps growing we keep opening our schools’ doors to those arriving from all over the world,” said Superintendent Pascal Mubenga. Link to original story →

With Sen. Kamala Harris expected to announce her decision on a presidential run, The American Bazaar asks members of the Indian-American community about the potential candidacy of the California native. While some celebrated the possibility of Harris, who is of Jamaican-Indian descent, running amid the current political atmosphere, others say the country is "still not ready for a female president and certainly not a non-white." Link to original story →